For athletes, vigorous exercise and warm/hot weather induce sweat production, which contains both water and electrolytes. Both water and sodium need to be replaced to re-establish "normal" total body water (euhydration). If rapid recovery is desired or a severe amount of water is lost through sweat, aggressive drinking of fluids and consuming of electrolytes should be encouraged to facilitate recovery for subsequent competition. (source)
Oral salt supplementation was effective at improving race time, lessening body mass loss and increasing serum electrolyte concentration during a real half‐ironman. (source)
Oral salt supplementation helped improve electrolyte concentrations in the bloodstream and reduced water-weight loss during a half-Ironman race. (source)
Chloride
Chloride is one of the most important electrolytes in the blood. It helps keep the amount of fluid inside and outside of your cells in balance. It also helps maintain proper blood volume, blood pressure, and pH of your body fluids. (source)
Potassium
Long exercise results in greater loss of potassium from cells, which can contribute to muscle cramps, bloating, and general fatigue. (source)
Significant increases in potassium and sodium losses with increasing exercise intensity. (source)
Very low potassium levels can be life-threatening. (source)
Magnesium
During exercise, you may need 10–20% more magnesium than when at rest. (source)
Helps move blood sugar into your muscles and dispose of lactate, which can build up during exercise and cause fatigue. (source)
Can boost exercise performance for athletes. (source)
Magnesium is important to optimize the benefits of vitamin D. (source)
Calcium
Calcium is lost in sweat and increases as the rate of sweating increases. (source)
Average of 138 mg of sweat calcium was lost during a 2 hour moderate intensity cycling session. (source)
Calcium supplementation can correct for negative calcium balance. (source)
Calcium losses might be an important consideration for endurance athletes, particularly during long training sessions or events. (source)
Sodium Bicarbonate
Has a positive effect on the performance of sports involving 1-7 min of sustained strenuous exercise, and may also be useful for prolonged sports involving intermittent or sustained periods of high-intensity work rates. (source)
Beneficial effects on prolonged, intense exercise. (source)
May be used to offset fatigue in high-intensity aerobic exercise. (source)
Increase the number of repetitions to failure in strength training exercises. (source)
